State of WIAA Division 1 Girls Basketball: 30 Days In
In this article:
We’re about 30 days into the regular season, and it’s time we take a day and dissect the state of the D1-D2 and D3-D5 heading into the holidays. We’ll highlight some standouts, surprises, significant games, and things to watch as…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWe’re about 30 days into the regular season, and it’s time we take a day and dissect the state of the D1-D2 and D3-D5 heading into the holidays. We’ll highlight some standouts, surprises, significant games, and things to watch as we head into the holiday season. We’re starting with large schools today and closing with small schools tomorrow and Saturday.
The Elite have Been Elite
Whenever you have one of the top kids in the country, you’ll likely have an advantage in most games you play. In that tier of player, we have kids like Allie Ziebell Allie Ziebell 5'11" | SG Neenah | 2024 State WI and Natalie Kussow Natalie Kussow 5'10" | SG Arrowhead | 2026 State WI , each consistently giving their teams an efficient 30 points and leading their units to impressive starts. In a game against one another, Kussow and Ziebell put on a show, scoring 30 and 39, respectively.
Game Wreckers
Some teams have started well and got consistent performances from their main contributors. I look at Kimberly and what they’ve got from Katelyn McGinnis Katelyn McGinnis 5'10" | CG Kimberly | 2025 State WI . She’s scored between 17 and 24 in all six Papermake games and shot the ball efficiently in each contest.
After a highly anticipated contest in McFarland, Verona has been a cut above everyone in the Big Eight. They’ve dominated everyone in their conference behind strong all performances from Reagan Briggs Reagan Briggs 5'9" | SG Verona | 2024 State WI , who scored 31 in McFarland, and Taylor Stremlow Taylor Stremlow 5'8" | PG Verona | 2024 State WI , who recently recorded a quadruple-double against Madison La Follette.
In another corner of the state, even after losing their Conference Player of the Year, Eau Claire Memorial has been as effective as they’ve been the past few years behind some dominant performances from 5-11 post-player Rayna Welsch Rayna Welsch 5'11" | C Eau Claire Memorial | 2025 State WI , who had a 30-20 game earlier this season.
Who’s Been the Biggest Surprise?
I don’t know if anyone expected Jade Warren Jade Warren 5'6" | PG Menomonee Falls | 2025 State WI to open the season with a 29-point outburst. In that game, we saw how good she could be with her speed, touch, shot-making, and ability to get to the free-throw line.
On the team side, I think it’s fair to say that we didn’t know how Germantown would look in their first season without KK Arnold, but they’ve scored more without her this season than they did with her. That doesn’t mean they’re better, but it suggests that they’re playing at least slightly differently, which is true. They were always an aggressive defensive team and subbed more than most, but now that you don’t have a kid good enough to run everything through offensively, it’s a by-committee system that’s even more aggressive on the defensive end. Last season, the Warhawks had three kids scoring double figures, and their third was at 10.7. Now, they have four kids solidly in double digits every night. Without looking, I’ll assume they’re, at worst, a top-five scoring offense, and most of that comes from their defense. Kids like Lucy and Mary Leininger, Rachel Murphy, Reese Berge, Jaycee Mani Jaycee Mani 5'6" | PG Germantown | 2025 WI , and more are athletic kids who can run forever and create turnovers in their diamond press that can lead directly to points. I love watching this group and believe they’re one of the most unique teams in the state, which will make them hard to beat.